There are many reasons why you are a stay-at-home mom or an unemployed lady. It could be that you need to cater to your kids and cater to your home.
Whatever the reason, it is possible to engage in businesses here and there to make money as a woman in Nigeria.
Though your husband may be the breadwinner of your home, an extra income will go a long way to take care of your personal needs and some little home expenses.
The major challenge for most ladies is that they start businesses without the proper knowledge and research. A few months later, you find out they are out of business.
This post will guide you on the best business to start as a lady sitting at home or as a stay-at-home mom in Nigeria.
Let me know if you have any questions or need further clarification. I will love to hear from you.
Table of contents
Starting a Business in Nigeria
Starting a business in Nigeria is a challenging experience due to the instability of the economy.
The price of goods changes all the time. You could lose all your money if you do not have a proper plan. I don’t want to get started on that will buy from you on credit.
You must do thorough research before you decide on the business to start as a woman in Nigeria.
Here are a few questions you must ask yourself to help you decide on the right business for you;
- What products or services do people need at your location unavailable?
- What services are not where you live?
- What is your interest?
- What services can you offer in a unique style?
- What is your capital?
The best business advice I can give you is never to go into a business because Mama Chidera is making money from it, so you must go for it.
You must learn to identify unique business opportunities through observation and research.
Now it is time for me to guide you on the different businesses you can start to make money in Nigeria.
Business for Ladies & Mothers in Nigeria
The following is the list of business opportunities for ladies and mothers in Nigeria;
- Provision Store
- Hairdressing
- Small Scale Farming
- Tailoring
- Cake Making & Pasteries Business
- Makeup Artistry
- Mini Boutique
- Food/Restaurant Business
- Sell Foodstuff
- Akara Business
- Poultry Farming Business
- Fry Groundnut & Pop Corn
- Grinding Machine
- Money Lender
- Mini Importation
- Ice Block Production
- Home Lesson
- Ice Cream & Yogurt Production
- Snail Farming Business
- Fruit Salad & Smoothie Production
Provision Store
Starting up a provision and mini supermarket is one of the most profitable businesses in Nigeria for ladies and mothers.
The good thing about this business is that you run it from home, allowing you to stay closer to your family.
But at this point, I must tell you the truth. There is not much money to make as gain from the provision business, especially from selling items like biscuits, noodles, toiletries, etc.
Things could go wrong; your children would eat into your gain. Other kids in the neighbourhood may try to steal from you.
Another problem with the provision business in Nigeria is over-saturation. It is why you find more than three (3) women selling provision items in a small compound.
Set up a mini supermarket business only if few people have provision stores at your location.
Also, you need to get creative by selling profitable items, like groundnut, meat pie, etc. I mean stuff that you can make yourself to get maximum gain.
The items you buy in cartoons wholesale have fixed prices. So there is not much money to make here.
Hairdressing
Hairdressing is the best handwork for ladies in Nigeria. It is a good skill that can make you plenty of money from home.
It is easier to go into hairdressing if you already know how to make hair. But it is possible to learn the skill at this point in your life.
To learn this skill, you must be passionate about fixing hair and other related stuff. The first step would be for you to register as an apprentice at a hair salon.
Learning hairdressing can take about six (6) months. Learning this skill online on YouTube is possible, but I recommend registering as an apprentice.
You will need finance to get the necessary equipment to start this business. You can get more information about becoming a hairdresser here.
Small Scale Farming
Small-scale farming is another way to make money from home. It involves planting different categories of crops like vegetables, cassava, corn, poultry, etc.
As a kid, my mother had a small farm that generated enough money to take of our food. Trust me when I say farming is a profitable business.
Farming involves hard labour, but it is long-term profitable if you put your mind to it.
To start a farm, you will need to find an available piece of land depending on your perspective scale in terms of size.
Ensure you know what you want to plant to sell at the market.
You can always go for a crop or livestock you have experience planting or rearing. If not, you can learn from people with successful farms around you.
Tailoring
Tailoring involves stitching together materials to make a dress for either gender.
Notwithstanding the country’s financial situation, people will always sew new dresses for different occasions.
Sewing clothes or fashion design is an excellent medium to make money as a stay-at-home mother or woman in Nigeria.
It is straightforward if you already know how to sew clothes. Otherwise, you will need to learn tailoring from a fashion design store.
The duration to learn tailoring at a fashion school is six months to a year. Ensure you register to learn at a qualified tailor.
Also, you will have to decide whether to specialize in men, women’s, or children’s clothes.
After your training, you can buy a sewing machine and start sewing at home. As you gain experience, you begin to make money for yourself.
Cake Making & Pasteries Business
Baking of all categories, like cakes, pastries, and snacks, is a medium to make money from home.
Cake and pastry production is the highlight of every occasion in Nigeria, like marriage ceremonies, birthdays, etc. Also, small chops are now a thing in every Nigerian party.
So, imagine you know how to make and design beautiful cakes. You will make plenty of money. The best part is that you can do everything from your house.
It does not matter whether you know how or have experience on how to bake. You can learn this skill in three (3) months.
Afterwards, you can start selling your products to schools, kiosks, and individuals at your location.
Starting this business may require you to purchase some essential equipment worth looking at from an investment point of view.
Makeup Artistry
Makeup artistry is the best handwork to learn in Nigeria as a woman.
A few years ago, makeup was not a big deal as most ladies opted to do their facials themselves. But over the years, the pressure to look beautiful with makeup has increased.
Every lady employs the services of a makeup artist for all kinds of occasions like marriage ceremonies, birthdays, photoshoots, etc.
I am trying to say that there is a high demand for makeup artists in Nigeria. You can learn this skill to make money.
Though, you will have to learn how to do contemporary Instagram-standard makeup artistry to enjoy patronage from young ladies.
The duration to learn makeup artistry in Nigeria is three (3) to six (6) months.
Mini Boutique
By mini boutique, I mean Okrika business or bend down select.
Selling clothes is profitable if you know the rope of the business. You must know where you can buy clothes at cheap rates to sell to people around you.
This business comes with the challenge of people who will always want to buy from you on credit. You must be careful not to lose your money.
I know a lot of women who were out of business in less than three (3) months because people were buying on a pay-later basis.
The best approach is to connect with anyone close to you who is successful in this business to learn the trade of selling clothes.
You must also be able to identify trends and the kind of clothes people are willing to buy.
Food/Restaurant Business
The food or restaurant business is profitable in Nigeria. A significant advantage is that you feed your family and make money simultaneously.
Not many Nigerians have the luxury of time to prepare food themselves. These categories of people buy food from restaurants close to them.
It would be best to strategically start this business, not set yourself up for failure.
Identify the nutritional need of the people that live in your vicinity. Then decide on the type of food you want to sell, ranging from swallow, rice, noodles, etc.
This business does not need expensive startup capital. You can start small and grow your restaurant to a large scale.
Sell Foodstuff
Selling foodstuff is another way to make money from home.
Like the food business, many Nigerians do not have the time to visit the market to buy foodstuffs in bulk.
You can sell food items like yams, provisions, noodles, tomatoes, drinks, etc. I am talking about opening a store that caters for the needs of people in your vicinity.
To start this business, you need capital to get basic foodstuffs for your store. Ensure you learn how and where to buy foodstuffs at the market.
You can learn about other businesses and handwork you can learn to make money in Nigeria here.
Let me know if you have any questions or need further clarification. I would love to assist you.
